The 2010-2011 A league soccer season is set to start in a couple of weeks time in Australia so it is a good time to preview the season. Thanks to Sportingbet for their preview. We will also have comparison betting odds from Australian and overseas sportsbooks in the next week or so.
The A-League off-season may still be one of the longest in world football, but there has certainly been plenty to keep fans of the domestic game interested since Sydney FC lifted the championship trophy back in March. Melbourne Heart’s aggressive and impressive recruitment drive has captured plenty of headlines, as has North Queensland Fury’s battle for survival, while both Adelaide United and Central Coast Mariners have opted to make managerial changes in a bid to revive their flagging fortunes. With plenty of new recruits drafted in from overseas and several big names switching clubs within the league, another intriguing and closely-fought campaign looks to be on the cards. Here’s our assessment of the runners and riders:
Adelaide United $15
Quite how Aurelio Vidmar was rewarded for guiding the Reds to last year’s wooden spoon by being drafted into the Socceroos set-up remains a mystery, as does the appointment of his successor Rini Coolen. The 43-year-old is not especially well-known, even in his native Holland, but at least he may introduce the tactical flexibility that was so glaringly absent at Hindmarsh Stadium last term. Proven A-League goalscorer Sergio Van Dijk has arrived from Brisbane and will provide a much-needed attacking edge to a United side that scored the fewest goals in the league last season. Van Dijk’s ability to link up effectively with Marco Flores and Travis Dodd will prove vital to the Reds’ fortunes, but Kristian Sarkies and Scott Jamieson will both be missed and it’s hard to see Coolen’s men making the finals.
Prediction: Should avoid the wooden spoon, but will struggle to gate-crash the top six.
Brisbane Roar $21
Ange Postecoglou may have established his authority by clearing out most of the senior players when he took up the reins at Suncorp Stadium midway through last season, but the cull ultimately cost Roar a finals place and the club’s fans will demand that the new manager’s youth-focused policy produces some on-fields rewards this term. Unfortunately for the former FoxSports pundit, a number of his most promising young prospects have moved on, including Tommy Oar and Adam Sarota, while leading marksman Sergio Van Dijk has been snapped up by Adelaide. Goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos will be looking to resurrect his career after returning from a nightmare spell in the UK and the same applies to Shane Stefanutto who has arrived following an injury-plagued season with North Queensland. Former German under-21 international Thomas Broich has the pedigree to be an influential performer in midfield, but overall, the Roar squad looks short on quality.
Prediction: Postecoglou’s revolution seems to have become bogged down and another season without finals football looks the likely result.
Central Coast Mariners $17
Another coach under pressure is Graham Arnold who will be looking to resurrect his managerial reputation in Gosford after enduring a torrid time with the Socceroos. A look at the Mariners squad, however, suggests that the former NAC Breda striker will have his work cut out guiding his new charges into the top six. Although Daniel McBreen showed during his loan spell with Perth Glory last season that he is a more than useful target-man and Joshua Rose is a decent acquisition in midfield, the likes of Dean Heffernan, Dylan Macallister and Nigel Boogaard are major losses and do not look to have been adequately replaced. Mariners fans will have to place their faith in players such as the talented, but injury-plagued Rostyn Griffiths, the unpredictable Jess Vanstratten and promising midfielder Oliver Bozanic. Matt Simon and McBreen may prove too similar to form a successful strike partnership, meaning that Adam Kwasnik and Nik Mrdja could have vital roles to play. The Mariners’ best hope may lie in developing the kind of siege mentality that has served them so well when written off in seasons past.
Prediction: Central Coast relish their underdogs tag, but they were poor last season and do not look to have strengthened sufficiently to trouble the top six this term either.
Gold Coast United $8
United have approached their second A-League campaign in far less flamboyant style than they did their first, perhaps suggesting that one or two lessons have been learned in the land of the white shoe brigade. With Miron Bleiberg in the dugout and Clive Palmer in the boardroom, life is never likely to be dull around Carrara Stadium, but the club have enjoyed a relatively calm pre-season, without too many arrivals or departures. Bleiberg will doubtless be delighted that last season’s top scorer Shane Smeltz has returned after the briefest of stints in the Chinese Premier League, while at the other end, the capture of former Manchester United defender John Curtis should strengthen a defence that was anything but watertight last term. The Queenslanders have decent strength in depth, will be better for having a full season behind them and in Golgol Mebrahtu may just have a youngster who could set the competition alight. Keeping Joel Porter fit will be vital, as the Englishman is the perfect foil for Smeltz and United fans will also be hoping that hatchet-man Steve Pantelidis can avoid spending more than half the season suspended.
Prediction: This Gold Coast squad should secure a top six finish relatively comfortably and if off-field distractions can be kept to a minimum, they may even pose a title threat.
Melbourne Heart $7
A talented squad, a well-credentialed coach and a very stylish kit make it easy to understand why many pundits feels that Melbourne Heart could have a debut season to remember. Defensively the new boys look particularly strong, with skipper Simon Colosimo set to anchor a backline featuring the likes of Michael Beauchamp and Dean Heffernan, while in midfield the guile of Josip Skoko should blend well with the flair and pace of Kristian Sarkies, the vision and passing range of Wayne Srhoj and the work-rate of Matt Thompson. Up front, however, John van‘t Schip’s options are perhaps not quite as strong, with both Jon Aloisi and Gerald Sibon approaching the twilight of their careers and Brazilian import Alex Terra something of an unknown quantity. While bedding in a new side always takes time and Heart are bound to endure some teething troubles, if their key players can avoid injury, van’t Schip’s men could give city rivals Victory a real run for their money.
Prediction: Talk of a first-up title may be a touch optimistic, but a finals appearance looks odds on and a top four finish is a real possibility.
Melbourne Victory $4.50
While new city rivals Melbourne Heart have been snapping up new recruits by the truckload, Melbourne Victory have spent most of the off-season on the transfer market sidelines. Goalkeeper Michael Petkovic has returned from a successful spell in Turkey to replace Mitch Langerak, while the only other new face belongs to local recruit Diogo Ferreira. Given that he missed virtually all of last season with a knee ligament injury, however, Billy Celeski must seem like a new signing for boss Ernie Merrick and he will rejoin the likes of Carlos Hernandez, Tom Pondeljak and Grant Brebner in a familiar-looking Victory midfield. Up front, meanwhile, the talismanic Archie Thompson is set to miss the entire campaign after undergoing a knee operation and although Mate Dugandzic and Robbie Kruse can both play as out and out strikers, Victory look very light in that area and are still on the lookout for a last-minute signing. Kevin Muscat will undoubtedly be keen to sign off by steering his side to another title, but there does not seem to be the same level of optimism that usually surrounds Etihad Stadium at this time of year.
Prediction: Could be a season too far for Victory who may just scrape a top four finish, but won’t claim a third title.
Newcastle Jets $15
The Jets were a tipster’s nightmare last season and it’s little wonder that coach Branko Culina’s hair seemed to grow thinner by the week. His side managed only two victories from their first ten games of the campaign, before winning four on the bounce from November into December, stumbled into the finals on the back of a run of one win in six games, edged out the Gold Coast on penalties and then crashed out to Wellington. Greater consistency will therefore be the name of the game for the men from the Hunter this term, but it’s hard to see them achieving that with the squad that Culina has assembled at EnergyAustralia Stadium. Former Olyroo Ruben Zadkovich is a decent acquisition as is fellow-midfielder Kasey Wehrman, but new attacking recruit Jeremy Brockie boasts a goalscoring record that is far from impressive, while Marcello Fiorentini has spent most of his career in the lower leagues of his native Italy. The Jets will be hoping to see promising defender Ben Kantarovski continue his impressive development and mercurial Iraqi winger Ali Abbas showcase more of his undoubted talents, while the return of a fully-fit Tarek Elrich will also be a major boost. New skipper Michael Bridges, however, is arguably Newcastle’s most influential player and keeping him fit could be the key to their season.
Prediction: Although capable of causing a boilover on their day, the Jets lack the quality to secure a top six finish and could end up scrapping to avoid the wooden spoon.
North Queensland Fury $51
Although they defied the odds to gain credibility in their debut season, this year’s campaign is shaping up to be even more testing for the men from Townsville. The financial uncertainty surrounding the club has meant a huge turnover in terms of the playing group and also delayed the arrival of new coach Franz Straka. Early indications are that the former Czech international has settled in well, but he has little quality at his disposal and will have to work wonders if Fury are to avoid propping up the ladder. Although Dyron Daal and David Williams will ask plenty of questions in attack and former Tranmere Rovers man Gareth Edds will steady the midfield, North Queensland look extremely vulnerable at the back and may also pay the penalty for gambling on a number of players with poor track records in terms of injury. Chris Payne caught the eye with Sydney FC towards the end of last season and Fury will need the highly-rated young striker to mature very quickly if they are to make any significant progress this term.
Prediction: A backs-to-the-wall mentality will not be enough to save Fury from a bottom-two finish.
Perth Glory $8.50
Last season’s debut finals appearance marked a significant breakthrough for Perth Glory and although they ultimately fell at the first hurdle, they are widely fancied to go several steps further this time around. The arrival of Robbie Fowler has certainly caught the imagination of Western Australia’s football public and if the former Liverpool legend can stay injury-free, he could provide the catalyst for a genuine title tilt from the A-League’s serial under-achievers. Steven McGarry and Jacob Burns form one of the strongest central midfield partnerships in the competition, Andy Todd remains an accomplished defender despite his advancing years, while a fully-fit Mile Sterjovski is a match-winner on his day and new arrival Michael Baird has been hugely impressive in pre-season. If coach David Mitchell can find a formation that makes the most of the talent he has available and Glory can finally discover a way to win on the road, they should be right in the mix for the championship.
Prediction: Look certain to finish in the top four and are a good value bet for a Grand Final appearance.
Sydney FC $3.75
Despite losing the spine of last season’s side in the form of Clint Bolton, Simon Colosimo, Steve Corica and John Aloisi, Sydney FC have recruited well and are likely to be among the front-runners again in the upcoming campaign. Liam Reddy, Scott Jamieson and Nicky Carle are all high-class performers at A-League level and if Vitezslav Lavicka can secure the services of a proven goalscorer ahead of the big kick-off, the Cove could have plenty to shout about in the coming months. Defensively the Blues may be vulnerable to pace through the middle given that neither Hayden Foxe nor Stephan Keller are exactly lightning quick, but they do have two fine goalkeeping options in the form of Liam Reddy and Ivan Necevski and Stuart Musialik will again do an excellent job of screening the back four from his deep role in midfield. That elusive new striker looks to be the final piece in the jigsaw, but if Lavicka does bring in the right man to complement Alex Brosque and Mark Bridge, he could go close to bringing back-to-back championships to the Harbour City.
Prediction: The reigning champions look to have a very decent chance of retaining their crown.
Wellington Phoenix $11
Phoenix have never approached an A-League season in such confident mood, buoyed not only by last term’s maiden finals appearance, but also by New Zealand’s strong showing at the World Cup. Throw in a pre-season friendly victory over the mighty Boca Juniors and it’s not hard to see why our friends from across the Tasman foresee a bright future for their hard-working and well-organised side. Coach Ricki Herbert clearly feels reasonably content with his squad as the Kiwi side have drafted in only one prominent new face in the form of Dylan Macallister, while the likes of Adrian Caceres, Michael Ferrante and Eugene Dadi have been released. Perhaps Herbert’s main area of concern is up front, where he will again rely on English duo Chris Greenacre and Paul Ifill both of whom were outstanding last season, but also missed a number of key games through injury. Several frontmen have trialled with Phoenix in pre-season and it looks certain that at least one of them will be offered a permanent deal. One factor that may count against the Kiwis is that they will no longer be able to fly under the radar as they did for much of last season and they must also perform far better away from home if they are to become serious title contenders.
Prediction: May not have quite enough strength in depth to be regarded as a genuine title threat, but should make the top six and could match last season’s run to the preliminary final.
